Kuwaiti emir travels to US after cabinet approval

Kuwaiti emir travels to US after cabinet approval

DUBAI--Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah travelled on Thursday to the United States for “usual” medical checks, state news agency KUNA reported, without giving further details.

Sheikh Nawaf, 83, assumed power in the oil-producing Gulf Arab state last September after the death of his brother Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah.

Sheikh Nawaf had on Tuesday approved a new cabinet at a time when the government is trying to tackle a liquidity crunch caused by low oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic.

State-run news previously reported that Sheikh Nawaf travelled to Germany for back surgery in 2013 and years later to the US for medical tests.

In the Kuwaiti system, the emir holds the country's most powerful office and is the primary guarantor of unity and stability and the protector of the country's constitution.

In his speech before the members of the new government on the occasion of their swearing in, the Kuwaiti emir called on the legislative and executive authorities to pursue “constructive cooperation,” stressing the need to “address fundamental issues, protect public funds in accordance with constitutional provisions and apply law with firmness and transparency.”

In addition to facing the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, like most countries in the world, Kuwait is